Shaft-oscillator.



A. H. WOUTERS.

SHAFT OSGILLA'JOB.I

APPLIGATION FILED MAR. 6, 1907.

957,289. Patent-,ea May 10, 1910.

L@ j/a MUY/Ugg UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALFRED H. WOUTERS, OF NORWOOD, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO ALLIS-CHALMERS COMPANY,A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY, AND THE BULLOCK ELECTRIC MANUFACTURINGCOMPANY, A CORPORATION OF OHIO, J'OINTLY.

SHAFT-OSCILLATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 10, 1910.

Application filed March 6, 1907. Serial No. 360,869.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED H. WOUTERS, belonging to the Kingdom of theNetherlands, residing at Norwood, in the county of Hamilton and State ofOhio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inShaft-Oscillators, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactspecification.

My invention relates to shaft oscillators, especially as applied to highspeed dynamo-electric machines.

In order to prevent undesirable grooving of the commutators or collectorrings of dynamo-electric machines it has been found advisable to givethe movable elements of such machines a slight oscillatory motionendwise. In high speed dynamo-electric machines, such asturbo-generators, it is desirable that the means for imparting thisendwise oscillation to the shaft shall be as nearly frictionless aspossible and shall operate without violence. This is also desirable inshaft oscillators for low speed dynamo-electric machines, though not sonecessary.

It is the object of my present invention to provide means whereby thisendwise oscillation of the rotatable members of dynamoelectric machinesshall be obtained practically Without friction or violence and shallmoreover be both positive and simple in its operation.

With this object in view my invention comprises an end-play deviceoperated by fluid pressure.

More specifically my invention comprises the combination of adynamoeelectric machine and an oscillator for the rotary member thereofcomprising a rotary shaft biased longitudinally in one direction, andmeans whereby said shaft is recurrently forced in the other direction byfluid pressure.

Other features of my invention will appear from the description anddrawings and will be particularly pointed out in the claims.

Figure 1 is a section of a bearing of a dynamo-electric machine showingone form of my shaft oscillator; Fig. 2 shows a dynamo-electric machinerovided with the oscillator of Fig. l; Fig. 3 is a similar view showinga modification of my shaft oscillater; and Fig. 4 is a section along theline 4-4 of Fig. 3.

The shaft 10 of a dynamo-electric machine A is mounted in bearings 11and 11a. These bearings are shown as high speed bearings in which thelubricating and cooling are done by oil drawn from any suitable sourcewhere it is maintained under pressure. The oil under pressure issupplied through a pipe 12 to a chamber 13 around each bearing, whenceit is distributed along the shaft by a bushing or bushings 14, escapingat the ends of the bearing to be caught in the chamber 15. Thence it isdrawn off by a pipe 16 and pumped back to the original source orotherwise disposed of. As these bearings form no part of my presentinvention, further description of them 1s unnecessary.

The above description applies to all the bearings shown, though thebearing in Fig. 3 is only incompletely shown.

Mounted in the end of the housing 17 of the bearing 11 is my improveddevice B whereby endwise oscillation is imparted to the shaft. In Fig. 1this device comprises a two-part casing fastened together as at 18 toform a plurality of contiguous and preferably cylindrical chambers 19,20, 21, 22 and 23, as shown. The chambers 19 and 23 are also preferablyconnected by one or more openings 2st. The chamber 19 is slightly largerin diameter than the shaft 10 and said shaft can move from its righthandor full line position, when it is just out of said chamber, to itsleft-hand or dotted line position in the chamber, toward which latterposition it has a bias, as by reason of a component of the attractionbetween the stationary and movable elements of the dynamo-electricmachine. For clearness of illustration this endwise movement of theshaft is shown somewhat greater than would generally be required inpractice.

In the end of the shaft 10 is a chamber 25 into which extends one end ofthe movable rod 26. This end of said rod is provided with a flange 27which is held in place in said chamber by means of a split plate 28fastened to the end of the shaft 10. A conical extension 29 of the rod26 can engage a conical depression 30 in the inner end of the chamber25. On the rod 26 are two other flanges 3l and 32, which fit closely inthe chambers 20 and 23 respectively. By means of a pipe 33 the chamber22 is connected to a source of fluid pressure, this source beingpreferably the supply of oil under pressure from which the oil forlubricating and cooling the bearing is drawn. l

From the position in which it is shown in full lines, the shaft 10drifts or is drawn to the left, and, as it nears its left-hand limit ofmovement, engages the projection 29 to move the rod 26 to the left andthe flange 81 out of the chamber Q0 into the large chamber 21. Thisadmits oil or other fluid under pressure from the chamber 21 to thechamber 19. The pressure of this fluid is sufficient when acting againstthe end of the shaft 10 to move said shaft from its dotted line positionto its full line position, the fluid being supplied to the chamber 19 ata greater rate than it can escape through the space between the shaft 10and the walls of the chamber 19. As the shaft nears its right-hand limitof movement, the plate 28 engages the flange 27 and moves the rod 2G ashort distance to the right to bring the flange 31 into the chamber 20.As soon as this flange enters the chamber 20, the rod 2G will be movedslightly to the right by the pressure of the oil because the flange 31is a little larger than the flange 32. As the shaft 10 reaches itsright-hand limit of movement it passes out of the chamber 19 slightlyand allows the oil in said chamber to escape quickly into the chamber15, whence it returns to the source through the pipe 16.

lVith the arrangement above described oil is admitted to move the. shaftendwise at each oscillation of said shaft endwise. It is impossible inthe normal operation of the machine for the parts to get in a positionof equilibrium.

The arrangement shown in Figs. 3 and 4 is somewhat different. Anextension 40 of the shaft 10, preferably rigidly attached thereto sothat a quick opening of the valve may be obtained, is threaded as shown,to form, with the wheel 41, a worm gear. However, the extension need notbe rigidly attached to the shaft 10, any form of connection which causesthe extension to rotate with the shaft being suitable. rlhe disk 41 isdriven in the direction of the arrow by the movement of the shaft 10,and is provided with any desired number of openings 42, through whichoil under pressure is admitted into the chamber 43, upon a predeterminednumber of revolutions of the shaft 10. The oil under pressure issupplied through the pipe 44 from any suitable source, preferably thesame source from which oill for lubrication and cooling is supplied. InFig. 3 the shaft is shown in full lines in its extreme left-handposition, the dotted line showing its eXtreme right-hand position.

Vith the arrangement shown in Figs. 3

and 4, the shaft 10 receives an impulse toward the right periodically,the length of the period depending upon the speed of rotation of theshaft.

By the term periodically absolutely exact intervals of time are notintended, as the lengths of the periods between different impulses maynot be rigidly constant, depending in the arrangement of Fig. 1 on thetime required for the shaft 10 to drift back to its eXtreme left-handposition, and in that of Figs. 3 and 4 on the time required for theshaft to make a predetermined number of revolutions.

Many modifications in the precise arrangements here shown and describedcan be made without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention,and all such modifications I aim to cover in the following claims.

lVhat I claim as new is 1. A shaft oscillator for dynamo-electricmachines, comprising a rotary shaft, and means cooperating with saidshaft for periodically applying fluid pressure against one end thereof.

2. In combination, a dynamo-electric machine, and an oscillator for therotary member thereof comprising a rotary shaft, and means controlled bysaid shaft for intermittently supplying fluid pressure to move saidshaft endwise.

3. In combination, a dynamo-electric machine, a shaft therefor, andmeans coperating with said shaft whereby the latter during its operationis recurrently moved longitudinally by fluid pressure.

4. In combination, a rotary shaft of a dynamo-electric machine, aconstant source of fluid pressure, and means cooperating with said shaftfor periodically admitting j fluid from said source to move said shaftlongitudinally.

5. In combination, a bearing for a dynamo-electric machine, a rotaryshaft in said bearing one end of said shaft projecting into a chamber,and means controlled by the motion of the shaft for intermittentlysupplying fluid pressure to said chamber.

6. In combination, a dynamo-electric machine having a rotary shaft, oneend of which shaft projects into a chamber, a source of fluid pressure,a passage between said chamber and said source, a valve in said passage,and means controlled by the motion of the shaft for recurrently openingsaid valve.

7. An oscillator for dynamo-electric machines, comprising a cylinder, arotary piston, and means controlled by the movement of said piston forintermittently supplying fluid pressure to said cylinder.

S. In combination, a dynamo-electric machine, and an oscillator for therotary member thereof comprising a rotary shaft biased longitudinally inone direction, and means cooperating with said shaft whereby the latteris recurrent-ly moved in the other direction by fluid ressure.

9. In combination, a bearino', a rotary shaft in said bearing, a sourceof oil supply under pressure, connections between said source and saidbearing, and means coper ating with said shaft for intermittentlyadmitting oil from said source to move said shaft endwise.

10. In combination, a dynamo-electric machine, a plurality of bearingsfor the shaft of the rotary member thereof, a source of oil supply underpressure, connections between said source and said bearings, and meanscooperating with said rotary member for periodically admitting oil fromsaid source to move said shaft endwise.

11. In combination, a bearing, a rotary shaft in said bearing, a sourceof Huid pressure, and means cooperating with said shaft for admittingpressure from said source against the end of the shaft to move itaxially upon predetermined movements of the shaft.

12. In combination, a dynamo-electric machine, and means for admittingfluid pressure to cause endwise movement of the rotary member of saidmachine whenever a predetermined movement of said rotary member recurs.

13. In combination, a dynamo-electric machine the rotary member of whichhas an aXial movement and is biased toward one limit of such movement, asource of fluid pressure, and means for admitting Huid pressure fromsaid source at intervals to move said member toward its other limit ofmovement against its bias.

14. In combination, a dynamo-electric machine whose rotary member has anaxial movement and is biased toward one limit of such movement, andmeans for supplying fluid pressure at short intervals to move saidrotary member against its bias.

' In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature, in the presence of twowitnesses.

ALFRED H. WOUTERS.

Vitnesses:

GEO. B. SGHLEY, FRED J. KINSEY.

